Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson today submitted joint testimony to the U. S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding conflicts between state and federal marijuana laws.
In their testimony, the two state leaders thanked President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for their recent guidance on federal enforcement priorities and outlined how the state plans to address those priorities.
They also drew attention to the complex banking issues facing the state as a result of federal banking laws and requested additional federal support for legislation allowing banks to accept deposits from legitimate marijuana businesses that comply with state law.
“We appreciate the opportunity to update you on our state’s progress, to thank President Obama and Attorney General Holder for their leadership, and to highlight areas where we could use additional federal assistance to ensure we best achieve our shared goals of keeping drugs out of the hands of children, preventing drug money from fueling criminal gangs, and preventing the violence that can be associated with the illegal drug trade.”
A copy of the testimony can be found here.